Ho model



PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

.w, 0. WEBBBR. HYDRAULIC AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESS S INYENTOR. fimflww UNITED STATES Patented January 5, 1904. I

ATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM O. WVEBBER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR' TO WALTE G. CARR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HYDRAULIC AIR-COMPRESSOR.

I: PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,898, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed January 8, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1', WILLIAM OLIVER WEB- BER, of the city of Boston, county of Suifolk, and State of Massachusetts, haveinven ted an Improvement in Hydraulic Air-Compressors; and I do hereby declare that the followingisa clear, full, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates more particularly to air -compressing apparatus'of the kind described in the patents granted to J. P. Frizell, January 29, 1878; Balochi and Krahnass, May 5,1885; T. Arthur, May 29, 1888; Charles H. Taylor, July 23, 1895, and to myself, October 9, 1900.

The object of this arrangement is to provide in one construction difierent areas of downflow-pipes, so as to accommodate varying volumes of water. It is obvious that the flow of streams varies largely at difierent seasons of the year. It is also obvious that with a given depth of compressed-air reservoir below the surface of the tail-water and different heads of water above and below dams, due to the rise and fall of impounded streams, certain" velocities of combined air and water in the downflow-pipe will produce the highest efficiencies. If, therefore, the downflow-pipe of a hydraulic aircompressor is made of a proper diameter to give the best velocity dowuflow for the normal flow of a stream and this same area is utilized during the time of floods, the velocity of the downfloW-pipe will be entirely too great to produce the greatest efficiency of entrainment and separation of the air and water, and, conversely, at time of extreme low water this area would be entirely too large for the best results,andin extremely dryseasonsthevelocity due to the low flow of water might become in adequate to carry down any air to the depth required by the originalconstructiou. I therefore have conceived the idea of incorporating in a single structure means for so changing the area of the downfiow-pipe as to allow of maintaining approximately a constant or only sligh tly-varying velocity with different quantities of water, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out by the claims, reference being had to the annexed drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which like Serial liol38,195. (N0 model.)

symbols represent corresponding parts, and wherein Figure 1 is a plan of the top of the headtank. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the lines 1 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. on the lines 3 4 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are horizontal sections at a point similar to Fig. 3, but show alternative means of construction, Fig. 3 showing the downtlow-pipe divided into two parallel passages, Fig. 4 showing the down flow-pipe divided into three parallel passages, Fig. 5 showing the downfiow-pipe divided into four parallel passages. Fig. 6 shows the downfiow-pipe divided into two parallel passages, one inside of and concentric with the other.

I do not desire to limit myself to the exact form of and number of the divisions into which the downflow-pipe may be divided, but for the purpose of this specification will describe and refer toan apparatus having one vertical division like that shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3. g

A is a circlar head-tank receiving water from a ponded area through the passage-way a.

B is a downflow-pipe separated by the vertical partition 0 into the two vertical passage-ways b and b.

D is a hinged door covering the passageway (2.

D" is a hinged door covering the passageway 5.

E is an annular air-chamber-surrounding the top of the downflow-pipe B and situated immediately beneath the head-tank A.

Frepresentstriangular-shaped air-conduits spanning theupper end of the downfloW-pipe B,open at each end and operatively connected to the annular air-chamber E, opening at the lower part thereof into the downflow-pipe B. It will be noted that the partition O extends upward to the top of the air-bars F and downwardly to the extreme bottom of the excavation in which the air-compressor is situated.

The operation of this device is as follows: When there is a sufficient supply of water to utilize both passages 12 b of the downflowpipe B at a proper velocity, the doors or gates D D will be left open in position shown in drawings. The water will then descend both be entrained through those of the air-conduits F which span the left-hand section of the doWnflow-passage 1). Separation of the air from the water will only take place in, the left-hand section of the separator; but the whole of the upper part of the separatingchamber G will be available for the storage of compressed air. None of this air, however, can escape up the right-hand passage-way b, as this passage-Way will fill with water up to a height corresponding to the level of the tailwater in tail-race H and will so remain until the right-hand passage-Way is put in operation again. From this method of operation will accrue a much higher efficiency of operation than would otherwise be the case.

Having fully described and explained these improvements, what I desire to claim by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a hydraulic air-compressing apparatus, a downflow-pipe consisting of a plurality of vertical passages, operatively connected to a head-tank above, and to a separating-chamber' below, provided with means for shutting 01f one or more of said passages, substantially as specified.

2. In a hydraulic air-compressing apparatus, a downflow-pipe consisting of a plurality of vertical passages, disposed in parallel, and operatively connecting to a head-tank above, and to a separating-chamber below, provided with means for shutting off one or more of said passages, substantially as specified.

3. In a hydraulic air-compressing apparatus, a downfiow-pipe consisting of a plurality of vertical passages operatively connected to a head-tank above, and to a separating-chamber below, and provided with means for regulating the amount of water admitted into each of said vertical passages, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM O. WEBBER.

Witnesses:

HELEN A. MoYLAN, THEODORE H. TAFT. 

